Improvement in cigar-machines



2 Sheets---Sheet1v S. SGI-IULFIELD.

Cigar-Machines.

Patented July 15, 1873 FIG- 2.-

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Cigar-Machines.

Patented Juiy 15, 1873.

F'IE-6- m PHOTO -LITHDGRAPHIC ca 1v. wassanuzls macaw) UNITE STATESPATENT SOORATES SOHOLFIELD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT lN CIGAR-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140, 846, dated July15, 1873; applicationfiled January 2, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SOCRATES ScHoLFIELD, of Providence, in the State ofRhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Cigar-Machines, of whichthe followingis a specification:

The nature of my invention consists in a tobacco-receiving apronarranged in combination with the opening rolls of the cluster, so as toreceive a like movement when they are being first brought forward in theact of closing the machine, but which becomes disengaged and moves backto its normal or receiving position, when the rolls of the clusterbecome completely closed upon the tobacco. It

i also consists in a ribbed or barred receivingapron, over theintermatchin g surface of which a circumferentially-grooved opening andclosing roll is made to move in collecting a deposit of loose tobacco.The object of this improvement is to prevent the tobacco from beingcaught between one of the movable and station ary rolls of the clusterin such a manner as to prevent the proper closing of the machine.

Figure 1 represents a rear view of a bindingmachine embodying myimprovement. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the machine, shown with therolls thrown open in order to receive a fresh filler upon thereceiving-apron. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken in the line.r 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal view of the two opening andclosing rolls, one of which is shown in section. Figs. 5 and 6 aresectional views illustrating the advantages of my improvement in itsapplication to a machine having four rolls.

'In the drawing, A A are two stationary heads carrying the rolls B B B,and A A are two movable or opening heads carrying the rolls B B. Theheads A A are rigidly attached to the shaft 0, which may be rocked backand forth to open and close the machine by means of the arm D, to beoperated by hand or treadle, or by any other suitable means.

The apron E, arranged to receive the filler as it drops into themachine,is hinged upon the shaft 0, and has its normal or receiving position, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, and is connected with the opening and closingheads A A, so as to operate to cover the space 0 in timely relation tothe closing movement, which may be effected by various devices, of whichI have J preferred the employment of a pressurespring, F, attached tothe arm a, and acting against a cam, 0, upon the end of the apron E,said cam and spring being so arranged that as the rolls becomecompletely closed the point of the spring F will pass beyond the end ofthe cam e, as shown in Fig. 1, releasing the apron and allowing it todrop back to its normal or receiving position. Now, when a binder hasbeen rolled upon the inclosed filler and the rolls B B are being thrownback to open the machine, the finished bunch will be discharged throughthe space 0 between the apron E and the stationary rolls of the cluster;and as the movement of the opening rolls continues the spring F willslide back upon the cam c, the

apron E in the meantime being held to occupy the space left between theopening and stationary rolls, with the exception of the space 0, throughwhich the finished bunch was discharged. A fresh filler being newdeposited upon the apron, and a closing movement imparted to the rolls,the friction of the spring F upon the cam 6 will cause the apron E topartake of the closing movement of the rolls until the space 0 is closedby the said apron, whichhas then reached its extreme forward limit, andthe continued closing movement of the heads A A, which carry the rolls BB,

will cause the spring F to slide along to the end of the cam e, andbypassing beyond it release the apron, and thus allow it to drop back toits receiving position, as before, the fillerin the meantime having beenreceived between the stationary and closing rolls of the machine, to bethere rotated in order to receive the proper binder.

In machines where the opening heads A A have a straight line of action,being attached to'a slide instead of moving in the arc of a circle, asshown in the drawing, the apron E will partake of a similar directsliding movement, and may 'be operated with reference to the closingmovement of the rolls, in a manner similar to the case illustrated.

In such cases a spring may be readily em ployed to draw back the apronto its receiving position. The surface of the apron E may be made withribs or bars 0 e e to enter the corresponding spaces 1) b b turned outof the FFICE.

roll B, in order that the tobacco deposited upon the apron may bebrought into the space inclosed by the cluster of rolls with greaterfacility and certainty. This improvement is of the highest value when acluster of four rolls is used, and becomes of less and less importanceas the number of rolls is increased; and in carrying out my invention Inecessarily groove but one roll of the cluster, and that the movableroll immediately above the apron, the others being kept smooth andsolid, as in ordinary machines.

The proper relative position for a receivingapron and its adjoiningstationary roll is shown in Fig. 5, where the surface of the apron isarranged as nearly as possible in line with the curved surface of theroll B; but in the case of a cluster of four rolls, as shown in Fig. 6,where the rolls are all arranged to nearly touch each other, except uponthe side where the binder is to be run in upon the filler, the apronwill strike the roll B at a point so low down that the tobacco will notrise over the roll B into the space X, but will be caught between therolls B and B, and the machine cannot then be closed.

The difficulty and uncertainty attending the proper transfer of theloose tobacco from the surface of the apron to the chamber X is overcomein my improvement by cutting in the roll B the circumferential grooves11 b b, and arranging the surface of the apron E in bars or ribs 0 e toenter the grooves of the roll. The tobacco is ,thus elevated above theopposing surface of the roll B, and may therefore be made to pass intothe chamber X without difficulty, the grooves of the roll B causing itto act like a rake when moving over the surface of the apron to forcethe tobacco into the rolling-chamber.

The driving gear a upon the roll B is placed beyond the plane of theothers of the cluster, which are driven by means of the central gear Hupon the shaft I, to which is also attached the pulley J. The gear G,bein g thus placed beyond the plane of the gear H, which serves tooperate the other gears of the cluster, is to be driven by means of along intermediate gear, G, placed upon a stud, f.

I am aware that rolls grooved circumferentially have been usedheretofore; therefore, I

' make no claim to an intermatchin g cluster of such rolls. I am alsoaware that stationary bars have been placed between the separate washersor disks used to form such a roll, in order to keep the washers steadyand in their proper places; therefore, I make no claim to stationarybars used for a like purpose; but

I claim as my invention e 1. The combination of thecircumferentiallygrooved roll B with the ribs or bars 6 e e of themovable apron E arranged to cover and uncover the space 0 when receivingthe loose filler and discharging the bunch, substantially as described.

2. The apron E receiving a forward movement conj ointly with the primaryclosing movement of the rolls, and also receiving an independentbackward movement toward its normal or receiving position upon thecomplete closing of the rolls, substantially as described.

3. A frictional connection between the head A, or any of itsattachments, and the apron E, operating to transmit a forward'movementto the apron during the closing movement of the rolls, substantially asdescribed.

SOORATES SOHOLFIELD.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. ROGERS, ALBA R. ABBOTT.

